Fraser Coast · Hervey Bay · Great Sandy Strait · K'gari

Monthly Fishing Guide

Species targets, seasonal bait patterns and local knowledge compiled from Fishing Monthly, local charter operators, tackle shops and Fraser Coast fishing forums.

Prime / peak target month
Hot bite or active run
Good fishing, not peak
January Summer
🌡️ 25–29°C🌬️ NE/SE winds🌧️ Wet season peak
Prime Targets
  • 🎣
    Spotted MackerelHOT
    Bait: Live yakkas (yellowtail), silver hard-bodies, trolled feathers & minnow lures. Target bait balls in Platypus Bay.
  • 🎣
    Black Marlin (Juvenile)FLATS
    Bait: Trolled skirts & lures, fly lines. The west coast flats of Fraser Island — world's only shallow-water sight-cast marlin fishery. Fish in under a metre of water at Rooneys Point.
  • 🎣
    Golden Trevally★ PRIME
    Bait: Live prawns, small crabs, poppers, soft plastics & flies on Fraser Island flats. Best on calm sunny days — sight cast to tailing fish. Peak Oct–March.
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    Barramundi
    Bait: Live mullet, lures (hard-bodies & soft plastics). Mary, Burrum & Susan Rivers. ⚠️ Closed season 1 Nov–1 Feb in tidal waters — target impoundments (Lenthalls) during closure.
  • 🎣
    Queenfish
    Bait: Stickbaits, lures, soft plastics & poppers over flats. Often school alongside GTs and golden trevally near bait balls.
  • 🎣
    Coral Trout / Sweetlip
    Bait: Live yakkas, whole pilchards, lures & soft plastics on inshore reefs. Sharks active — lure fishing limits losses to predators.
Bait balls form throughout the bay in January. Follow the birds — where pilchards, herring or yakkas are being pushed to the surface, mackerel and marlin are never far below.
February Summer
🌡️ 26–29°C🌬️ NE winds🌧️ Wet season
Prime Targets
  • 🎣
    Spotted MackerelHOT
    Bait: Trolled silver minnows, live bait (yakkas & garfish), casting metals at surfacing schools. Platypus Bay runs peak.
  • 🎣
    Longtail Tuna (early season)
    Bait: Stickbaits & metals cast to feeding schools. Post-freshwater run-off — fish the dirty water line where bait concentrates at the edge of clear and murky water.
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    Golden Trevally★ FLATS FIRE
    Bait: Live prawns, crabs, flies & soft plastics. Post-freshwater events push big bait schools onto flats, goldies follow in numbers.
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    Mangrove Jack
    Bait: Live poddy mullet, hard-body & soft plastic lures worked tight to mangrove structure. Creek systems & channels in the Great Sandy Straits.
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    Threadfin Salmon
    Bait: Live baits, soft plastics & hard-bodies worked through estuarine channels. Great Sandy Straits and Mary River mouth.
Freshwater run-off concentrates bait along the turbidity line. Work the clear/dirty water interface — longtail tuna and golden trevally use this edge to ambush.
March Autumn
🌡️ 24–27°C🌬️ Variable🐟 Tuna season ignites
Prime Targets
  • 🎣
    Longtail Tuna★ PRIME
    Bait: Stickbaits, soft plastics, metals & flies. Schools move through Platypus Bay — March through June is the height of tuna activity on the Fraser Coast.
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    Golden TrevallyHOT
    Bait: Live prawns, flies, poppers & soft plastics on flats. Fish feeding aggressively before water temperatures drop. Big fish on the flats this time of year.
  • 🎣
    Queenfish
    Bait: Stickbaits, slugs & poppers over flats and along bait ball edges. Spectacular aerial acrobatics — be ready for long runs.
  • 🎣
    Spanish & Broadbar Mackerel
    Bait: Trolled lures, live yakkas & garfish. Appear around bait balls alongside longtails — some seasons produce excellent early Spanish mackerel.
  • 🎣
    Cobia
    Bait: Live bait (crabs, fish), jigging. Often found alongside tuna schools and around bait balls.
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    Bream (creek pre-spawn run)
    Bait: Prawns, worms, small lures. Pre-spawn bream prolific in island creeks and the Susan/Mary estuaries. March often produces quality fish.
Local guides consider March the best month for sheer variety. Work bait balls on top for tuna, then drop a 40–60g jig underneath the same bait school and you'll find golden trevally waiting below.
April Autumn
🌡️ 22–25°C🌬️ SE winds building🐟 Peak variety
Prime Targets
  • 🎣
    Longtail Tuna★ PRIME
    Bait: Stickbaits, metals, soft plastics & flies on tailing or surface schools. Now widespread across Platypus Bay and along inside of Fraser Island.
  • 🎣
    Spanish MackerelRUNNING
    Bait: Trolled hard-bodies, live yakkas & garfish. Big Spaniards increasingly common — check outer reef edges and gutters.
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    Snapper (first arrivals)
    Bait: Whole pilchards, soft plastics & jigs. First fish appearing on the Artificial Reef and inshore spots. Numbers build rapidly into May.
  • 🎣
    Sand Whiting (pre-winter)
    Bait: Fresh yabbies, beach worms, pipis. Begin fishing the early evening full and new moon high tides — whiting anglers switch to this winter pattern in April.
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    Reef Species (inshore)
    Bait: Pilchards, squid, lures. Sweetlip, cod, coral trout & nannygai on inshore coffee rock. Cooling water reduces shark pressure — perfect timing.
Barramundi and mangrove jack activity slows as night temperatures drop toward 15°C. Shift your focus to tuna, mackerel and the early snapper season coming on strong.
May Autumn
🌡️ 20–23°C🌬️ Light SE — ideal🐟 Reef season opens
Prime Targets
  • 🎣
    Snapper★ SEASON PEAK BEGINS
    Bait: Whole pilchards, soft plastics (worked around bait schools), jigs 40–60g. Nomad Buffalo & Cast OTD jigs are proven performers. Inshore spots first, then Platypus Bay as winter progresses.
  • 🎣
    Spanish MackerelHOT RUN
    Bait: Trolled hard-bodies & skirts, live bait yakkas. Excellent May–June run on outer reefs and deeper gutters. Quality fish this month.
  • 🎣
    Longtail Tuna (surface to deep)
    Bait: Stickbaits on surface; jigging when fish move deeper. Work yakka schools — tuna and golden trevally often stack under the same bait.
  • 🎣
    Coral Trout★ TROPHY WINDOW
    Bait: Lures (fish come out to hit — lighter outfits work), live yakkas, soft plastics. Shark numbers dropping = higher landing rates on big trophy trout.
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    Sand Whiting★ BEST MONTHS BEGIN
    Bait: Fresh yabbies (pumped), beach worms & pipis. Inside Fraser Island beaches, foreshores and sandbars. Evening moon tides extremely productive May–September.
May–August is prime reef fishing time. Lighter winds allow offshore access, baitfish flood inshore reefs, and the shark numbers drop. Snapper move in to feed on the baitfish — it's their favourite time in the bay too.
June Winter
🌡️ 18–21°C🌬️ SW winds🐟 Bait schools flood inshore
Prime Targets
  • 🎣
    Snapper★ PRIME
    Bait: Soft plastics around bait schools (herring, yakkas, pike), whole pilchards, jigs. Fish dawn & dusk. Silent approach essential — snapper spook easily in the shallow clear water of Platypus Bay.
  • 🎣
    Spanish MackerelPEAK RUN
    Bait: Trolled hard-bodies, skirts & live yakkas. June is one of the best mackerel months of the year on the Fraser Coast.
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    Coral Trout★ TROPHY SEASON
    Bait: Lures, live yakkas, soft plastics. Minimal shark presence = maximum chance of boating a trophy trout. One of the best months for quality coral trout all year.
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    Broadbar Mackerel (Broadys)
    Bait: Trolled lures & jigs. Winter favourite for eating — delicate white flesh. Straits and bay-side reefs.
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    Sand Whiting
    Bait: Fresh yabbies, beach worms, pipis. Inside Fraser Island between Wathumba Creek and Arch Cliffs. Cooler water = active, shallow feeding fish.
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    Bream (winter aggregations)
    Bait: Prawns, lures, soft plastics. Pre-spawn aggregations form in the Straits and around jetties and structure. June–July is good winter bream fishing.
Locate bait schools on the sounder first — snapper will be on the edge of the school. Drop soft plastics or pilchards through the bait at the turn of the tide. Quiet motor approach is critical in less than 5m of water.
July Winter
🌡️ 17–20°C🌬️ SW winds (can be tough)🐳 Whale season
Prime Targets
  • 🎣
    Snapper★ PRIME
    Bait: Soft plastics around yakka schools, jigs (40–60g), whole pilchards, cut baits. Platypus Bay and 25 Fathom Hole very productive. Trevally schools working the same grounds may require tactic changes to single out snapper.
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    School Mackerel (inshore)STRAITS
    Bait: Trolled feathers, small minnow lures, metals. Woody Island, Kingfisher Bay and Sandy Straits — consistent school mackerel in July. Great kids' fishing.
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    Tailor (Fraser Island)FIRING
    Bait: Whole pilchards (gang hooks), metal slugs, poppers. Fraser Island ocean beach tailor runs from July through November — quality class fish in the surf gutters.
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    Giant Herring (Ladyfish)
    Bait: Stickbaits (Rapala Crush City is proven). Spectacular surface fighters — huge long runs and aerials. Winter herring sessions are a highlight of the cooler months.
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    Mixed Trevally (Straits)
    Bait: Jigs 40–60g, lures, soft plastics. Bluespot, tealeaf, diamond, golden, bludger & giant trevally — diverse winter aggregations in the Sandy Straits.
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    Sand Whiting
    Bait: Fresh yabbies, pipis, beach worms. August full moon run is building — prep your spots north of Moon Point.
Windy July days? Head into the Sandy Straits — school mackerel, mixed trevally, tailor, flathead and squid all produce in the sheltered channels regardless of bay conditions.
August Winter
🌡️ 17–20°C🌬️ SW / SE winds🐟 Reef peak month
Prime Targets
  • 🎣
    Snapper★ PRIME
    Bait: Soft plastics on bait schools, jigs, whole pilchards & cut baits. 25 Fathom Hole, Gutters and Platypus Bay reefs loaded with yakkas and snapper. Quality knobby snapper in August.
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    Sand Whiting★ FULL MOON RUN
    Bait: Fresh yabbies, beach worms, pipis. The August full moon triggers the most reliable whiting run of the year north of Moon Point, inside Fraser Island. Fish the early evening high tides.
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    Coral Trout / Mixed Reef
    Bait: Lures (lighter rigs — fish come off reef to strike), live yakkas, soft plastics & vibes ~20g. Shellie's, The Bluff and Tinninbar Reef all producing well. Squid & pillies also effective.
  • 🎣
    FlatheadAUG–NOV SEASON
    Bait: Live herring, soft plastics 3–4" (drains & drop-offs on mid-morning low tides), yabbies. Flathead season runs August to November in Hervey Bay creeks and inlets.
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    Tailor (Fraser Island)
    Bait: Pilchards, metal slugs & poppers in surf gutters. Consistent beach tailor now running well on Fraser's ocean beaches.
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    Golden Trevally (flats return)
    Bait: Soft plastics & live prawns. Goldies begin working the Fraser Island flats again from August through to April — sight-fishing on flat calm mornings.
Squid and pillies for reef species, vibes for fast prospecting. Roy Rufus, Hardie and Simpson Artificial Reefs fish the turn of the tide — bait placement on the structure is critical. Move if no bites after 10 minutes.
September Spring
🌡️ 19–22°C🌬️ SE trades🐟 Transition month
Prime Targets
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    Snapper (late season)
    Bait: Soft plastics, jigs. Numbers tailing off but quality fish still around. Longtails begin reappearing — possible to catch both in same session.
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    Longtail Tuna (returning)BUILDING
    Bait: Stickbaits, soft plastics & metals. Big fish at 1–1.2m start building through September. Some of the largest longtails of the season caught this month.
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    TailorFRASER BEACHES PEAK
    Bait: Whole pilchards, metal slugs, poppers. One of the best months for tailor on Fraser Island surf beaches. Dawn and dusk surf gutter sessions are reliable.
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    Flathead (spawning aggregations)
    Bait: Soft plastics, live herring, lures. Flathead gather to spawn in the Sandy Straits — good light tackle fishing on breezy days when the open bay is rough.
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    Mixed Trevally & Grunter
    Bait: Jigs, lures, metals, cut bait. Queenfish, school mackerel & jewfish still active through the Straits. Thin triangle of squid or mullet flesh is excellent grunter bait at dusk.
September bridges winter and spring. Start the day at a snapper reef for late-season fish, then switch to the surface mid-morning as longtails begin chasing bait schools in the warming water.
October Spring
🌡️ 21–24°C🌬️ SE trades easing🐟 Spring pelagic surge
Prime Targets
  • 🎣
    Black Marlin (Juvenile)★ SEASON OPENS
    Bait: Trolled skirts & lures, stickbaits on fly. The world's ONLY location to sight-cast to free-swimming juvenile black marlin in under a metre of water — Rooneys Point, Fraser Island. Book ahead, October–December.
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    Golden Trevally★ FLATS FIRING
    Bait: Flies, soft plastics, live prawns & crabs. Best sight-fishing of the year begins. Fish tailing goldies in the crystal-clear shallow water of the Fraser Island flats. Peak Oct–March.
  • 🎣
    Longtail Tuna
    Bait: Stickbaits, metals, flies. Surface action surges as water warms. Large schools widespread across Platypus Bay.
  • 🎣
    Queenfish & Giant Trevally
    Bait: Poppers, stickbaits, large lures. Flats coming alive — GTs to 30kg have been caught off Urangan Pier in the warmer months.
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    Tailor (last strong month)
    Bait: Pilchards, metal slugs. Good class tailor still running Fraser beaches before summer heat disperses schools.
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    Inshore Reef Species
    Bait: Lures, soft plastics, pilchards. Coral trout, sweetlip, cod and grass sweetlip swarming on inshore reefs as water warms.
Book your October flats trip early — it's arguably the most extraordinary fishing experience in Australia. Juvenile black marlin within arm's reach in under a metre of crystal clear water is like nothing else on earth.
November Spring
🌡️ 23–26°C🌬️ NE winds building🐟 Bait balls forming
Prime Targets
  • 🎣
    Black Marlin★ PRIME FLATS SEASON
    Bait: Trolled skirts & lures, sight-casting on fly. Juvenile marlin peak on the Rooneys Point shallow flats. Hervey Bay Boat Club tournament (Nov) has recorded 169 marlin by 11 boats in 3 days.
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    Spotted Mackerel★ ARRIVING
    Bait: Trolled silver minnows, live yakkas & garfish, casting metals at bait balls. Large schools move into Platypus Bay from mid-November. Great Christmas lead-up fishing.
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    Golden Trevally
    Bait: Live prawns, crabs, flies & soft plastics. Highly active on the flats — bait balls create constant feeding opportunities across the bay.
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    Cobia
    Bait: Live fish, crabs, jigs. Often found shadowing manta rays and bait balls. Urangan Pier produces cobia in spring. Strong table fish and hard fighters.
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    Inshore Reef (cod, sweetlip, trout)
    Bait: Lures, soft plastics, pilchards. Cod, painted sweetlip, coral trout & grass sweetlip active on warming inshore reefs. Note rising shark activity — use lures to avoid losing fish at the boat.
Bait balls are a daily feature in November — spotted mackerel, tuna and other species stack underneath feeding birds. The rod-tip action watching predators smash surface bait is some of the most visual fishing on the east coast.
December Summer
🌡️ 24–27°C🌬️ NE winds / variable🐟 Summer pelagics peak
Prime Targets
  • 🎣
    Spotted Mackerel★ PRIME
    Bait: Live yakkas & garfish, trolled hard-bodies & feathers, casting metals at breaking fish. Large schools across Platypus Bay — excellent Christmas holiday fishing for all ages.
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    Black Marlin (season closing)FINAL WEEKS
    Bait: Trolled skirts, lures & fly lines. Final weeks of the juvenile marlin run on the Fraser Island flats. Don't miss the last shots.
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    Longtail Tuna (early run returns)
    Bait: Stickbaits, metals & flies. School-size fish appear ahead of the autumn peak. Target bait balls and feeding schools on the surface.
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    Golden Trevally★ FLATS PRIME
    Bait: Flies, live prawns, soft plastics & crabs. Summer flats fishing is spectacular — tailing golden trevally on crystal-clear sandy shallows in warm conditions.
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    Sand Whiting
    Bait: Yabbies, beach worms, pipis. Found in slightly deeper water in summer but still plentiful on foreshores. Great fun fishing for kids and families.
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    Bream (estuaries)
    Bait: Prawns, worms, soft plastics & hard-bodies around jetties, pontoons and mangrove edges. Year-round option but active in warm water.
Christmas holiday bait ball action is a highlight — Urangan Pier is a great family option in December as mackerel, tuna, queenfish and trevally are all drawn in by vast schools of herring and hardyheads around the pylons.